Car-coupling



PATENTED JAN. l2, 1904.

E. G. WASHBURN.

CAR GUPLING.

APrLIUATIoN FILED SEPT. e, 1902.

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AM A: 3 9 4 7 m N PATENTED JAN. 12, 1904. E. o. WASHBURN.

GAR GOUPLING.

APPLIUATION FILED SEPT. 8, 1902.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

NO MODEL.

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. No. 749,344. PATNTED JAN. 12, 1904.

E. G. WASHBURN.

l GAR GOUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 8, 1902.

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No. 749,344. PATENTED JAN. 12, 1904. Y

E. G. WAS'EBURN. GAR UOUPLING.

APPLIGTION FILED SE1-11.8, 1902.

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UNITED STATES Patented January 12, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 749,344, dated January 12, 1904.

Application 'lled September 8, 1902. Serial No. 122,561. (Nomodel.)

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Be it known thatI, EDWIN CASHBURN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oar-Couplers; and Ido hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to car-couplers of the Master Oar-Builders type, `and has for its object to improve `the same in the several particulars hereinafter noted.

The invention consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described, and deiinxed in the claims.

In the drawings like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views, and the lpreferred form of my invention is therein illustrated.

Figure l is a plan view` of `a car-coupler embodying the features of my invention. Fig.

2 is a vertical section taken approximately on the line .f1/ :c2 of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line w3 m5 ot' Fig. 2. Fig. 4

i is -a transverse vertical section on the irregular line a14 or Fig. 3. Fig. 5 shows the pin p or lock-dog in front elevation and the tail of ordinary way by pintle or pivoted bolt 4, and

the dog 3 is mounted in a suitable seat 5 5 in the upper and lower walls of the coupler-head with freedom for vertical movements and a limited forward and rearward oscillation at its lower end. The reduced lower end 3 oi' the dog 3 works in the seat-section 5, and near its lower extremity it is provided with an undercut shoulder 3b and with a bulge or open.

cam projection 3c for purposes which will presently appear. The vertical movements or' the dog 3 are limited by a transverse pin 6, which is supported by the coupler-head 1 and engages a notch 7, formed in the rear walls of the said pin. At its intermediate portion `the dog 3 is formed with an undercut shoulder 3, `which extends forward and to one side, affording an angular corner which projects in the direction of the pivot 4 of the knuckle 2. As shown, the depending tail or guide-section 3u of the dog is beveled at one edge, as shown at 9, so as to afford clearance for the tail of the knuckle; but it will be noted that this bevel 9 does not extend completely to the lower end of said tail, but, on the contrary, leaves the lower end of said tail rectangular in crosssection. Also as shown, the body oi' the dog 3 at its corner just above the shoulder 3 is slightly beveled, as shown at 8, to afford a better wearing-surface, as will presently ap-` pear.

The tail of the knuckle 2 is formed with a segmental dog supporting surface 10, the outer extremity of which projects to form a wedge or key-lug 11, which fits in a correspondingly-formed seat in the coupler-head. The outer edge of the tail of the knuckle is thus formed with the V-shaped indentation or outline, and this indentation when the knuckle is closed closely tits a correspondingly-formed thrust-lug 12, which projects inward from the adjacent side of the coupler-head, as best shown in Fig. 3. The tail of the knuckle is also formed with a segmental cain-iiange 13, which rises in the direction in which the tail of the knuckle moves as the knuckle is swung The outer edge oi' this cam-flange 13 is eccentric to the axis of the pintle 4, as indicated by the dotted linea-which in Fig. 7

indicate arcs struck from the center of said pivot. The purpose of this eccentricity will be made clear in the description of the operation. The wedge extension 11 is thinner than the body of the free end or segmental sup 9 porting-surface 10 of the knuckle, so that a vertical shoulder or stop-surface 14 is formed on the tail of the knuckle, as best shown in Figs. 3 and 4. This stop-shoulder 14 strikes against a stop lug or surface 15, formed with- IOO in the head of the coupler. The surface 14 of the tail of the knuckle extends parallel to that surface of the lock-dog which holds the knuckle locked, so that under bumping and draft strains there will be no Wedging action between these surfaces.

Within the head of the coupler, projecting upward from the lower wall thereof, is a segmental thrust-flange 15, against which in the bumping action the segmental tail end of the knuckle is thrust. This thrust-fiange 15 is reinforced by ribs 16 and 17, the former of which projects from one side and the latter of which projects from the bottom plate of the coupler and both of which extend in the general direction of the thrust strains produced in the bumping action. The said flanges 16 and 17 run for a considerable distance into the bar or stem portion 1a of the coupler-head 1.4 The flanges 16 in the shank of the coupler which extend approximately in line with the` knuckle are heavier than the flanges on the other lside of the shank, so as to give materially greater strength to the shank back of the knuckle This is important for the reason that under bumping and draft strains, and especially under lateral or angular strains in turning curves, the shank on that side is subjected to very much greater 'strains than is the other side of the shank. Hithert oa large percent. of the breakages have been due to theweakness of the shank on that side which is back of the knuckle.

When the dog or pin 8 is raised and its lower portion swung slightly forward, the shoulder 3l of the tail 3 will rest upon a supporting shelf or ledge 18, as shown, formed as a part of the lower plate or wall of the coupler-head 1 at the forward extremity of the seat-section 5u.

The outer or hook end of the knuckle 2 is Y provided with an ordinary coupling-pin seat 2 and is slotted or bifurcated at 2b to admit the end of an ordinary coupling-link. This slot 2b does not, however, cut backward through the hook of the knuckle, but leaves the inner surface of the hook unbroken or intact, and consequently does not reduce the wearing-surface at such points. This feature is important, since the greatest Wear takes place between the inner surface of these parts.

The head 41 of the bolt or pintl'e 4 is polygonal and fits in a countersunk seat formedr fore the bolt-head could turn, but which also I more closely engages the head and prevents even slight initial movements of the bolt or pintle. This device is especially adapted for the specific purpose illustrated.

When the knuckle is locked, as shown by full lines in the drawings, the flaring or wed gelike end 10 11 thereof is wedged or held like a dovetailed flange between the inner face of the dog 3 and the rear face of the thrust-lug 12. Hence even if the pivot-pin 4 should be broken or removed the knuckle will be securely held in place. To set the lock dog or pin so that the knuckle may be freely opened, it is raised and its lower end rocked forward so that the undercut shoulder 3b rests upon the shelf vor ledge 18, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2. In this position of the dog its shoulder 8 is raised slightly above the segmental tail end 1() of the knuckle, but is thrown forward into the path of movement of the forward portion of the cam-flange 13. Hence when the knuckle is swung open the cam 18, acting on the shoulder 8, will raise the dog 3 with almost a straight lift, so that very slight friction between the dog and its seat has to be overcome'. When the knuckle closely approaches the limit of its upward movement, the cam-fiange 13 in view of the eccentricity of its outer surface passes from under the shoulder 8 and permits the dog to drop until its shoulder 8 rests upon the retaining-surface 1() or the extension 11 thereof. When the knuckle is again closed,the eccentric outer surface of the flange 18 engages the corner 8 of the dog and forces the dog backward into alinement with its seat, so that it will be dropped back to normal position and lock the knuckle as soon as the supporting-surface 10 of said knuckle passes back out of engagement with the shoulder 8 of said dog. In this way the dog is raised and again forced back into alinement with its seat under very slight frictional resistance. There is a tendency for the dog to gradually work upward under the constant jars and vibrations imparted to the coupler when a train is in motion. To prevent this climbing or rising of the dog within its seat, I provide the dog with the cam-lug or surface c3 which when the pin starts to climb engages with the co-operating surface 2O at the lower portion of the seat-section 5u. When the surfaces 3 and 2O come into contact, they interrupt the upward movement of the dog and impart a lateral movement thereto which tends to release the same and cause the same to drop back to normal or locked position.

It will of course be understood that the device above described is capable of considerable modification within the scope of my invention as herein set forth and claimed.

That I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is as follows:

1. In a coupler of the Master Car-Builders type, a knuckle having a tail arranged to lift IOO IIO

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i the lock under the opening movement, to support the same while open, and to force said lock back into alinement with its seat, under the i closing movement thereof.

f f 2. In a car-coupler of the Master Car-Build- 3 -ers type, a shelf or ledge for supporting the lock in a slightly-elevated position, and a knuckle having a tail operating to `lift the said lock from said ledge or shelf and to support the same under the opening movementJ thereof. 3. In a coupler of the Master Car-Builders7 type, the combination with alock-dog mounted for vertical and a limited lateral movement, of co-operating surfaces on said dog and the head of the coupler engageable, when said dog isl raised and moved laterally, and a camj, iang'e in the tailv of the knuckle engageable with a shoulder on said dog to raise said dog when the knuckle is swung open, and to force the same back into alinernent with its seat when the knuckle is closed.

4. In a coupler of the Master Car-Builders movement and having a projectingl guide- "surface that stands out of the path of thetail of the knuckle, in all positions of the parts.Y

5. In a couplerof the Master Car-Builders type, a lock arranged to be set for automatic ,uncoupling and provided with .a projecting guide-surface that stands out of the path of `thc tail ofthe knuckle, in all positions of the parts.

6. In a car-coupler, a head having a supf ,porting ledge or shelf for the lock, and a knuckle having an inclined tail portion serving to lift the lock from said shelf or ledge and support the same under the opening movement, and j to force the same back into alinement with its scat under the closing movement thereof. `7. In a car-coupler, a knuckle having a surface on its tail portion, which surface operates to raise the lock under'the opening movement of the knuckle, the tail of said knuckle `further having a shoulder that serves to force thelock back into alinement with its seat, un-

der the closing movement of the knuckle. In a coupler, a coupler-head having a pintype, a sliding lock having a limited lateral' scat, and a lock having a shoulder which, un-

der the initial unlocking movement of said lock, engages a surface on the said head to prevent the lock from being jarred upward.

9. In a coupler, a vertically-movable lock havinga limited lateral movement in its seat, said lock having a cam-shoulder at one side which must be forced into said seat before said lock can be raised.

10. A coupler of the Master Car-Builders type having a pivoted knuckle formed in its elbow or angle with a vertical pin-seat and having a link-receiving seat or notch intersecting said pin-seat from the outer surface of the knuckle, but leaving the projecting rounded inner wearing-surface of the knuckle intact or unbroken, substantially as described.

l1. In a coupler ofthe Master Car-Builders type, the combination with a pintle or pivot bolt having apolygonal head, of a seat in the coupler-head closely Vfitting the polygonal head of said pintle for preventing the rotation thereof, substantially as described.

l2. In a coupler of the Master Car-Builders type, the combination with a pintle or pivot bolt having an equilateral polygonal head, of a seat `in a coupler-head closely fitting the head of said pintle for preventing rotation thereofl tail portion constructed and arranged to lift said. dog from said ledge or shelf, and to support the same, under the opening movement of said knuckle.

In testimony whereof I aiiiX my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

. EDWIN C. VVASHBURN. Witnesses:

ELIZABETH H. KELIHER, F. D. MERCHANT. 

